Fire and Signs
by toobeauty
Summary: Hephaestion, an accident, silence, a new beginning. chapter 8 is the final one, hope you have enjoyed it!
1. Chapter 1

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion .

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

PROLOGUE.

Fire.

Flames.

Destruction.

Silence.

Weakness.

Loneliness.

Sadness.

Lost.

Found.

Cared.

Drawings.

Signs.

Hope.

Lips.

Love.

Eternity.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion .

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 1.

He was now a fourteen year-old Macedonian teenager; he was tall, strong with muscled arms but still slender. His well-built frame called people's attention because he was rather young but his face … his face was his best feature and, according to his master, it could have been his doom, because Hephaestion was a servant and for that reason he was available for the taking by anyone in a higher position.

******** Flashback

Hephaestion's family had borrowed money from Master Kronos to save their farmland and when they were on the verge of succeeding, a fire started in the barn and flames spread all over the house, destroying it and killing its inhabitants.

Hephaestion was coming back from his sneak-out to the lake when he saw enormous tongues of fire devouring his house; he ran very fast but he couldn't do anything, as he was getting to the front door, the roof collapsed and the house was reduced to rubble. A wooden pole knocked the eight year-old boy down and he fainted. He was found some hours later, unconscious with some bad burnt, especially on his right arm. Master Kronos took him home and his wife Athina looked after the boy's wounds. Hephaestion's body healed quite quickly but his mind was completely broken; he saw his family die in front of his eyes and his home destroyed by the fire, and since that moment fire had become his most terrifying enemy.

The poor boy suffered from nightmares every single night since the tragedy and they gave him very bad nights, he dreamed about his family being burnt alive but the end of each nightmare was the worst part, he saw himself surrounded by fire, trying to get to someone who was holding out the hand to him, Hephaestion just brushed his fingertips over the other person's hand before that person was devoured by the flames. The poor boy woke up most of the nights covered in sweat, with his heart running inside the thin chest, feeling as if someone were crushing it between strong hands, shivering and screaming but not a single word came out of his mouth.

Kronos and Athina ran every night to the boy's bed and looked after him until Morpheus lulled the boy back to sleep; they also thought that the experience had been so traumatic that he had lost his ability to speak.

Athina looked after him for several months and when Hephaestion was fully recovered, he started to help her in the house, doing some simple chores such as feeding the farm animals, sweeping the floors and bringing water.

Hephaestion had always a sad expression on his face but his eyes, two pools of Mediterranean Sea, lightened a bit every time Athina or Kronos praised him for a job well done.

Months went by and Hephaestion couldn't still speak so they made up a system of signs to communicate among themselves; Hephaestion could listen but he didn't want to speak. In that way, Hephaestion started with his signs language and every day they could add more signs to cover more words.

The children of the nearer farms made fun of Hephaestion calling him idiot or crazy; Hephaestion always looked at them and made no gestures, but his blue eyes got every time a bit more clouded.

Once he was beaten by a group of children, they took advantage of him because he couldn't speak or yell for help so nobody realized of his beating up. When he returned to his master's house, one of his eyes was swollen and closed, his lower lip was cut and there was a knife wound on his forehead.

Athina looked after his wounds again and for the first time, Hephaestion cried against Athina's chest while hugging her with his thin arms around her waist. Athina soothed him and sang him a lullaby.

Later that evening when Athina and Kronos were talking after dinner, they realized that Hephaestion needed not only their help but also their love so they decided to adopt him and raise him as their own child.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 2:

Hephaestion was not longer a servant; he became the builder's son and his best apprentice. He was quick and everyday he grew stronger. He had learnt how to build any kind of things, he was always watching at his father very carefully; his blue eyes followed Kronos's movements and he did things just in the same way.

After some years, Kronos was so confident with Hephaestion's building skills that he started leaving him in charge. The people working with him were very gentle, not only because he was the master's son but also because Hephaestion irradiated an aura of confidence.

Hephaestion's body now, being 14, was really well-built, strong long arms with bulky biceps ended in big hands with also had strong fingers. But at the same time, it was very frequent to find the young boy caressing the petals of flowers with great delicacy as well as his mother's cheeks; something that Athina enjoyed too much and rewarded him with a warm smile and a tight hug.

One day after finishing working in a new construction, Kronos came home and found Hephaestion drawing, an activity the boy liked too much, but he was so concentrated that he didn't realize his father standing behind him and peeping over his right shoulder.

"What are you drawing, son?" the builder asked curiously.

Phai turned round to face his father and made a sign with his hands, shaping a triangle.

"A ladder?" Kronos asked.

Hephaestion put his hand in a flat position and rolled it up and down.

"Similar to a ladder" the builder said.

Hephaestion nodded and continued drawing.

"What is it for?"

The boy stood up and made a combat movement, like attacking with a sword.

"For fighting" Kronos said smiling. "Who will you fight, Phai?"

Hephaestion touched his chin and made several spiral downside movements with one finger, drawing an imaginary beard.

"Oh, I see, you will build this kind of ladder to fight against the Persians."

Kronos and Athina always summarized Hephaestion's signs when the idea was complete; they did that because they hope Hephaestion could find the will to speak again.

Phai drew a crown on the top of the drawing and showed it back to his father.

"So you are designing this for King Philip. But son, I cannot fully understand how it works"

Hephaestion started to draw again and when the sketch was finished, Kronos was amazed; Hephaestion had designed a new version of an old war weapon, a siege tower. Kronos asked Hephaestion to draw a neater plan because he had a good idea. He knew an important Macedonian General, close to the King, Parmenion, and he might be interested in Hephaestion's idea.

Some days later, Kronos was called to the Palace, Parmenion and Philip were waiting for him there; Hephaestion was with his father but he waited some steps behind him.

"Joy to you, Kronos, what an interesting idea you have" general Parmenion greeted.

"Joy to you, too my King, general Parmenion, but in fact it is my son's idea" and saying that he turned round to look at Hephaestion with pride in his eyes.

The king spotted the handsome youth and approaching him, he asked:

"That is even better, tell us about how it works"

Hephaestion looked at Kronos with fear in his cerulean eyes. The king looked at the boy with his good eye and encouraged him to speak but Hephaestion remained in silence. Kronos approached his son and put his arm around the boy's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Then he looked at the King and told him:

"I am sorry, my King, but Hephaestion cannot speak, but he can hear and make signs with his hands" the builder explained.

"What has happened to him" he asked curiously.

"He lost his family six years ago when his farm caught fire and since then he is mute" Kronos explained and hugged his son tightly.

The King looked at Hephaestion and caressed his cheek with his calloused hand.

"You are the same age as my Alexander but you've suffered much more than him, my son. I think you'd like him. So Kronos, can you tell me what this smart young man has to tell me?"

The builder nodded and the explanation began. When it was over, Philip was totally marveled with the project and promised to send the idea to his engineers.

The king, looking at Hephaestion's eyes, took out one of his gold rings with a big aquamarine stone and gifted to Hephaestion; the boy refused but the king insisted.

"It is a way of paying for your commitment to my kingdom. Wear it also as a symbol of my protection" and saying that he retired to go on with his multiple duties.

Hephaestion looked the king walk away and a warm feeling travelled around his body, perhaps, just perhaps, life was smiling at him once again.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 3:

Two months later, Kronos and Hephaestion were summoned to the palace; the King was going to put Hephaestion's idea into practice but there was something in the drawing that his engineers couldn't figure out.

I was very difficult for the young boy to make himself understand. Hephaestion was in pain, his headache was increasing and he couldn't focus his eyes, which were also sore.

Hephaestion was standing near a stone column and he began to hit his forehead against it, once, twice, several times, but once his forehead hit something soft and warm. Hephaestion lifted his forehead, opened his eyes and he forgot how to breathe: a young Apollo was standing near him and he had prevented his hitting against the stone wall.

"Hitting your forehead won't make your headache disappear. Come with me and I'll give you some herbal tea to calm the pain."

Hephaestion followed the young Apollo; he couldn't believe that a boy could be so handsome. He also was wondering what had made him follow a stranger.

Alexander opened a heavy wood door and let Hephaestion in, he asked him to sit down on a couch outside in the balcony, which faced the garden.

Alexander went back with a cup filled with a dark liquid; he handed the cup to Hephaestion and warned him that it was bitter but that it would help.

Hephaestion sipped and frowned his nose, Alexander laughed at the gesture; listening to it, Hephaestion looked at Alexander and in that very moment, the young prince knew he had lost his heart forever; he stared at him during some minutes, drinking in those blue pools of heaven; when he realized he was still staring he coughed and asked the brunette boy what his name was.

Hephaestion pointed to his mouth and shook his index finger in a swinging movement in front of it.

Alexander said: - "Oh! You cannot speak, but you can hear me" he said pointing to his ear.

Hephaestion nodded and went on drinking the concoction. Some minutes later, he looked around the room, his face had an annoyed expression and so Alexander asked:

"Do you need something?"

Hephaestion nodded again and made a gesture for writing.

Alexander caught a scroll and a stylus from his desk and handed them to Hephaestion. The brunette boy wrote his name with a childish and trembling handwriting. He showed it to Alexander blushing, he was embarrassed about his writing, he didn't have time to learn how to write and read well, but at least he was good at drawing and calculations.

"So you are Hephaestion, were you named after the god of Fire Hephaestus?" Alexander asked gently but when he looked at Hephaestion's cerulean eyes they were filled with horror.

"I am sorry, what did I say?" the young prince asked.

Hephaestion shook his head meaning nothing but Alexander encouraged him to tell what had suddenly saddened him.

The brunette took the scroll again, drew four people inside a farm house, and then he added flames and wrote "family". When he showed it to Alexander, his eyes were teary, the golden boy approached his broken friend and with gentle hands, he pushed Hephaestion's head against his chest while drawing small circles on his back; the prince, lowering his head, whispered in his ear:

"Don't worry Hephaestion, I got you" and when Hephaestion listened to those words, all his pain was released and he cried for some minutes, wetting Alexander's chiton.

When Hephaestion stopped, Alexander looked at his new found friend and asked him to wait for a moment, Alexander came back soon bringing a wet towel and cleaned Hephaestion's face. The builder boy looked at the prince and was about to write something when King Philip entered the room.

"Alexander, son, I want a word with you. Oh! Good, you have met Hephaestion; maybe you can learn how Kronos communicates with him, they have a set of signals to speak. " the king explained.

"Only if Hephaestion wants to share that with me" Alexander said and looking at Hephaestion, he saw him nodding.

"So if that is okay, you may stay here with us while we build the siege towers. Would you like that, Hephaestion?" the king asked

Hephaestion shook his head and made a signal of missing his family, especially his mum, Alexander understood the signal but he couldn't help pouting, Hephaestion saw that and he felt the need of comforting the young prince. He made Alexander look at him and pointing to his chest and Alexander's, he joined his both index fingers meaning together and then pointed to his eyes and rolled his finger.

Alexander took a moment to think and then said: "We are staying together and seeing each other everyday". Hephaestion nodded and mouthed "thank you"; Alexander's face illuminated because he had just discovered that he could read Hephaestion's lips and also had found the best excuse to look at those so tempting lips.

Alexander really didn't know what he was feeling, he was dizzy, sweaty, with his heart running inside his chest, suddenly his mouth went dry and thousands of butterflies were tickling his stomach.

In that moment Kronos appeared at the door with two guards and asked Hephaestion if he was ready to go back home. Hephaestion nodded towards his father, and looking at Alexander, he waved his hand and mouthed "tomorrow". Alexander nodded and mouthed the same reply.

A very quiet Hephaestion went back home that evening, not knowing really what was happening but he was sure that his life had reached its most important turning point and, for the first time since the fire that took his everything away, another fire, gentler this time, was born in the shape of a young Apollo with golden hair and tender flames in his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 4.

Alexander was expecting the new day anxiously; in fact it had been very difficult for him to sleep. He got up at dawn, went for his cold bath at the river – a custom acquired during Leonidas's training – and went back for his morning meal.

He didn't know when Hephaestion was coming. He was on his way to the dining room when he came to a halt; Hephaestion was standing in the middle of Queen Olympia's garden touching the petals of some exotic flowers. In that moment, Hephaestion bent over a red rose to smell its perfume and Alexander's heart shrunk at the vision of happiness plastered in Hephaestion's face.

Hephaestion was blushing, that's why he was bent over the flower; from the corner of his eye, he had caught a glimpse of a semi naked Apollo, with wet skin and curly blonde hair reaching his shoulders, coming towards the palace. He knew that he couldn't face the Prince being him in that state of undress; so he turned round and in that precise moment a ray of sun hit his face, enlightening his eyes and Alexander thought that two precious blue gems had fallen from the Olympo to set on that handsome face, just to make him feel dizzy.

Both youths were too deep in their own thoughts: the mute one thinking why he felt so attracted to the prince; the talkative one thinking how could be a walking god in his garden.

Their feet brought them together without realizing and Alexander started babbling due to his nerves; Hephaestion let him speak but when he was feeling tired of all that nonsense, he put a finger onto the Prince's lips and mouthed: "hello"

Alexander blushed and greeted him aloud, feeling his lips trembling due to the soft and warm touch of that single finger. Alexander asked him how he was and Hephaestion mouthed again "fine" and motioned towards the palace. Alexander remained stood there quietly seeing the brunette boy going away from him; Hephaestion, sensing that Alexander wasn't following him, stopped and looking over his right shoulder, he stared at his semi-naked Apollo and a smile appeared on his face when he realized that Alexander was looking at him with his mouth wide open. Alexander shook his head, trying to wake up from his day dreaming and set off running to his side.

Hephaestion, in moments like these, regretted his lack of voice and promised himself to get his voice back, no matter how much effort he would have to do.

Both youths arrived at the dinning room and some of the boys were already up, most of them still yawning, some rubbing his knuckles over their eyes. Ptolemy and Perdicas came running to greet Alexander and the prince introduced Hephaestion to them; the two noisy boys started to speak rapidly and Perdicas kept on talking loudly, almost shouting. Hephaestion just nodded to them and looking at Perdicas, he put his hands over his ears, covering them and frowning his forehead. The blonde boy, who was always speaking his mind aloud before thinking, slapped his forehead and said:

"Forgive me, you are mute not deaf!!" and giggled at his own stupidity.

Hephaestion just smiled at him and raised his hand as a salute. He started walking again when he felt a warm hand over his shoulder.

"Where are you going, Hephaestion?" Alexander asked

Hephaestion, taking a scroll and a stylus from his bag, wrote "Parthos" which was the name of King Philip main engineer.

"Come to my room with me, you can wait me there while I get dressed and then we could look for him together."

The mute boy looked at the prince with a strange expression in his gorgeous eyes and mouthed "Why?". Alexander's cheeks went a bit reddish and said that he was hoping to spend some time with him, Hephaestion mouthed again "why?" and the prince said that he wanted to know him better. Hephaestion shook his head and began walking away from Alexander. He knew that he had to be apart from the prince, his attraction was too strong and he was dying to spend more of his time in the palace with the prince, but he also knew that if he let his feelings for the young Apollo grow, everything was going to be more difficult when his time in the palace came to an end.

Alexander didn't follow him but his mind kept running at an amazing speed, thinking what he had down to offend the boy. Cassander saw the situation and decided to take advantage of it. When Hephaestion was passing by, he stopped him and asked:

"Who are you?" A wicked smile appeared on his face.

Hephaestion was about to take his scroll out to write his name, when the aristocratic boy stopped him and said with disdain:

"Oh! You are the poor mute my lover is feeling pity about."

Hephaestion looked at him with a strange expression on his face and due to this Cassander explained:

"I am Cassander, Philoalexandros, you know what I mean" Cassander added with a smile.

Hephaestion nodded and continued his way; but his day was just ruined with the news, and moreover because the prince felt pity for him. He should have realized that Alexander had put a show for his father but … he seemed so nice and real in his behaviour … he had to dawn on that he was just a simple builder and to put the matter worse, mute.

The day was a difficult one, the hours ran slowly and Hephaestion felt his heart so heavy that his eyes were about to release tons of tears anytime soon. The prince didn't meet him until lunch and when he appeared, he was followed by Cassander, his beloved who was all over him and Alexander didn't bother about it. When the prince made his way towards Hephaestion to share their lunch together, Hephaestion stood up and bowing towards the prince, he left the dinning room, almost running. He looked for a secret spot in Olympia's garden and he cried his heart out, sobbing and cursing his bad luck.

Alexander remained in the dinning room but his mind was not there, it had followed the strong boy who ran away from him! He wanted to follow him but his mother requested his presence in her chamber and he went to know what she needed.

The afternoon turned into evening and Alexander was free to look for Hephaestion and discover what was troubling his friend; he also realized that he really wanted to know the boy, he felt more than attracted to him and some months ago he had decided that women weren't as good as men. Walking towards the barn to look for his horse, he met Hephaestion who was taking his things to go back home.

"Hephaestion, please wait for me!" shouted the prince.

Hephaestion tensed his back and continued walking as if he hadn't heard the young man.

"Hephaestion, what's wrong with you today? Why are you avoiding me? What have I done to you?" the prince's voice sounded quite anxious.

Hephaestion turned round, lifted his gaze and Alexander couldn't believe what he was seeing; Hephaestion's eyes were bloodshot as if he had been crying a lot, they were almost dark blue and his whole face expressed such misery that it was difficult to look at him. Alexander stepped forward but Hephaestion took a step backwards, Alexander stretched his hand to take Hephaestion's arm but the builder showed the movement and mouthed "NO".

Alexander remained quiet and Hephaestion turned round and set off running towards the gate of the palace.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Title: "Fire and Signs".

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 5.

A very depressed Hephaestion came home that evening. There was no need of words to discover that something was wrong with him. His body language spoke volumes of him: the darken eyes, his soft lips turned into a tight line, his shoulders hunched, his tired footsteps, his head sank into his chest and his two hands turned into fists.

Athina saw him enter and her heart flew to his son, what had happened today? she wondered, he was so happy and cheerful yesterday but today he reminded her of the little boy Kronos had found in the middle of the fire some years ago.

Hephaestion looked into her eyes and she automatically opened her arms and Hephaestion didn't doubt a second, he ran and hid his head in her chest, sobbing and crying his soul out. Athina soothed him by whispering sweet nothings into his ear. An hour later, when Kronos entered the house, he saw Athina hugging a very deep asleep Hephaestion who still had his face stained by his tears.

The evening meal was quieter than ever and Hephaestion went to bed earlier too, but he didn't fall asleep straightforward; he twisted on his bed and, despite of his effort, Cassander's words kept coming to his memory. Hephaestion already knew he was just a farm boy but he didn't understand how a person could be so mean and said that horrible things to him. He knew that he belonged to an inferior cast but the prince hadn't showed his disgust as Cassander had implied. Hephaestion also knew that if feelings for the Prince grew up inside his heart, he would have to erase them; he knew that too well but even at his short age he knew that the heart had reasons that the mind didn't understand.

He tried to get some sleep as he had to go back to the palace the next morning to see how the construction was going.

At the same time, on another bed, another boy couldn't sleep either; he was trying to understand what had happened with Hephaestion earlier that afternoon and why his new friend had run away from him. He felt unhappy but not angry at him, Hephaestion had got under his skin and he really wanted to know him better; his heart got warmer whenever the brunette was near and what was more fantastic was that they needed no words to communicate, they had created their own way, mouthing words, reading their lips and eyes.

Alexander's heart was heavy with sorrow and wanted the next day to come quickly so he could sort things out with Hephaestion.

Athina went to wake Hephaestion up and found him curled like a baby with the blanket covering his head.

"It's dawn Hephaestion, let's get up, get washed and come to have breakfast."

Hephaestion shook his head

"Come on, son, don't you want to see your new friend today?" she asked him just to get the same previous answer.

"Have you fought with the Prince, Phai?" she asked nervously

Hephaestion looked at his mother his horror in his eyes and he started to make signs so quickly that Athina could just take his hands between hers to stop him.

"Slow down, my dear, I can't follow you. So someone had been rude to you and you think the prince will follow this person's opinions, but has he said something rude to you? Do you want me to tell them you are not going back"

Hephaestion thought for a moment and shook his head for the third time. He got up, hugged his mother and had breakfast with his parents, but his mind was further away. He kissed his mother goodbye and headed to the palace.

By now, every guard in the palace knew about the young builder and they were very respectful as his invention could save many lives; Hephaestion was greeted by many soldiers of the Cavalry and got more than one proposition from the senior officers. Hephaestion had never realized that he had turned into a handsome teenager because many people rejected him when they dawned on he was mute, well, I am not mute, I don't want to speak yet, I will speak again when I have something important to say, Hephaestion said to himself.

He met Ptolemy and Perdicas who greeted him happily and offered themselves to take him to the Prince. Hephaestion shook his head and wrote the name of the master builder on his scroll meaning he was going to look for him.

Alexander entered the dining room wishing to speak to Hephaestion; his mind was playing again the conversation he wanted to have with his new friend and when he got into the room, his smile disappeared.

"Joy to you, Alexander, why have you got that expression?" Ptolemy asked

"I thought Hephaestion would be sharing the breakfast with me but he hasn't arrived yet" the prince answered.

"Oh, yes, he did arrive but he went directly to the construction." Perdicas explained.

"So he is still angry with me" Alexander whispered.

"Maybe, he looked quite unhappy and his eyes got bigger when we offered to escort him to you. Did you two quarrel?" Ptolemy asked.

"No, I was about to speak to him yesterday but he ran away from me" the prince answered back.

"Leave that poor boy alone, he doesn't need more pity, he already has tons of it" barked Cassander smiling.

"I don't feel pity for him, Cassander, in fact his muteness is not a problem, even less when we have found the way of understanding each other." Alexander replied.

"Whatever, at least you won't hear him yell as a girl or bore you to death with his comments about his poor farm life" Cassander added.

"What are you talking about, Cassander?" Alexander asked "Don't tell me you have talked to him?"

"Yes, I did yesterday and put him on the right track so he won't suffer, poor thing. At least he looks nice so anyone could have his wicked way with him." Cassander said with a smirk on his face.

Alexander saw red and pinned Cassander against the wall.

"You are the one who will regret being born, bastard!" Alexander shouted.

"What's the problem, Alex, do you fancy the poor mute?" and that was the last word Cassander said before Alexander crashed his fist against his lips and left the room as if the same Hades were running after him.

Alexander knew he had to find Hephaestion and explain him that he really cared about him and that he did want to be his friend, well, Alexander wanted to be more than his friend but he would let the brunette boy lead the way.

Following the sounds of hammers and saws, Alexander arrived at the workshop and saw Hephaestion climbed up high on a tower, working himself hard.

- "What's he doing up there?" Alexander asked to one of the men who were carrying a wood pole.

- "He is working, my prince, he wrote down he'd not be directing today, just working and if possible alone. So here he is, in his world of silence" the man explained.

Alexander felt a blow inside his heart, "his world of silence" he repeated for himself and he promised to himself that that was about to change.

The prince climbed a ladder carefully and touched Hephaestion's leg with his right hand, the brunette boy got surprised by the touch and one of his hands released the pole he was holding and his body turned round, crashing his back against the wooden structure, cracking his head and twisting one of his feet. Alexander climbed further and put his arm round the slender waist to give him foot and said "I got you" but instead of a thankful look, he got only a cold one.

Two other workmen helped the prince to get Hephaestion down but the young builder dismissed them, showing his thumb up meaning everything was fine. Alexander told him that they should see the doctor but Hephaestion shook his head, turned round and went away, limping all his way out.

The afternoon became evening and Hephaestion was about to leave when the young prince joined him, telling he'd escort him to his house just to see he arrived in perfect conditions. Hephaestion didn't make any sign so the ride lacked of any kind of gestures or drawings.

Alexander dismounted and walked Hephaestion to his door, the brunette didn't look back and was about to open the door when Alexander grabbed his arm and turned him round so he could face each other. The prince mouthed "I am sorry" but not even the apology made Hephaestion answer; Alexander knew that Hephaestion was really angry but he needed to get a reaction, no matter if the builder got even furious, so the prince approached a bit and without any warning, he set his lips over Hephaestion's while his hands rested on the broad shoulders. Hephaestion was so surprised that he started to kiss him back but when he realized what he was doing, he gave one step backwards and slapped the Prince's cheek.

Alexander looked at him and lifted his hand to the slapped cheek; he couldn't believe what Hephaestion had done and when he looked at Hephaestion's eyes, he saw anger and sadness at the same time. Hephaestion was writing frantically on his scroll and shoved into Alexander's hands and it read "I'm not your lapdog, don't do that ever again" and he entered his house, slamming the door behind him.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Title: "Fire and Signs" Chapter 6.

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG for first chapters.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

Builder and Prince never crossed a word or a sign again. When the construction was over and proved in battle, it was a real success, so Hephaestion was released of his work with a very nice payment and the thanks of his King.

Six months later, when that little war was over and won, there was a banquet to celebrate the new war weapon and its effectiveness and Hephaestion and his parents were invited. They had a nice evening and Athina and Kronos saw gladly how their son had gained the respect of the king and his army.

But Hephaestion was not happy, his cerulean eyes were sad and empty and wandered around the room as if they were looking for his brown partners , a match which he would never again have the opportunity to look at because he had been stupid enough to slap the Macedonian Prince.

Athina, as any good mother, had her eyes set on her son and followed his every movement, that's how she realized about the glances between his son and the young prince, both showing tons of frustration and unrequited desire; now she could understand which the cause of Hephaestion's sorrow was and she really felt sorry for both teenagers.

As usual, after the banquet, there were some entertainments and while the elder were listening to a boy playing the flute, Hephaestion led himself to the nearest balcony to breathe some fresh air; to his misfortune, there was another person perched on the rail of the balcony, who was sobbing his heart out.

Hephaestion was a natural comforter so he stood behind the person and put his right hand on the shoulder, of course he couldn't ask how the person was so he tapped the shoulder to make it turn; to his dismay the person was the Prince and when he saw him, he stepped backwards, staring at each other.

The Prince dried his tears with the back of his hand and asked him, with his eyes locked at the floor:

"Is there anything you need, Hephaestion?

The balcony was dark and he couldn't read Hephaestion's lips, so he took the builder's hand and moved him till a ray of moonlight lit those lips, which have given him many sweet dreams and a few nightmares.

Hephaestion mouthed "Nothing" and remained quiet; Alexander was still holding his hand and unconsciously caressing with his thumb the inner of his wrist. Hephaestion mouthed "Sorry" and caressed the cheek he had slapped six months before. Alexander nodded and putting a hand behind Hephaestion's nape, brought their foreheads together and both teens released a deep sigh. After a moment, Alexander asked: "Friends?" and Hephaestion nodded and smiled. The Prince and his just recovered friend went back to the banquet and enjoyed it till the end.

From that moment, a strong relationship bonded both teenagers and they spent together as much time as it was possible, but sometimes it was quite little as Alexander was getting more and more involved in his father's army and Hephaestion was in charge of the buildings as Kronos was getting old.

Months went by and the day before Alexander's 17th birthday, a Royal messenger arrived at Hephaestion's house requesting the builder's presence at the Palace, Hephaestion's mother asked what the reason was and the man said that it was Alexander's birthday and the Prince had asked for his friend's company. Athina let her son go back to the palace after preparing some new clothes and kissing her son.

Both friends hadn't seen each other for the last eight months and Hephaestion really wanted to see his friend and "tell" him about all the things he had done and listen to all the stories about Alexander's experiences with the Army.

When he arrived there, Hephaestion was sent to a small chamber and there was a hot bath waiting for him. The young builder took his time enjoying his bath, then he dried himself and put a towel around his slender waist. He was facing the wall, near the small balcony and stretching his body; he was so absorbed in his movements that he listened to neither the door opening nor the Prince entering the chamber.

Alexander stood there frozen, staring at the view of his friend who was still stretching his muscles by putting his arms up in the air and rotating his waist to both sides. The Prince saw how the strong back muscles moved under the tanned skin; he wanted to outstretch his hand to caress that back when suddenly the towel fell to the floor revealing tight buttocks and slender thighs and legs. Alexander went backwards and hit his head against the wall but managed to run out of the room.

Listening to the noise, Hephaestion picked up the towel and fastened it again and then he listened to a knock on the door and Alexander peeping inside asking:

"Hephaestion, may I come in?"

The brunette turned round and nodded to his friend smiling.

"I've just arrived and I was on my way to my room" Alexander said without being able to look away from the muscled naked chest of his friend.

Hephaestion mouthed "Wait" and went back to the bathing area and came back minutes later with a fresh chiton on.

Alexander didn't know what to do, he felt his hands sweat and his heart beating so strong that he thought Hephaestion was able to listen to it.

Hephaestion was worried, Alexander had a serious expression on his face and he was looking at him as if it were the first time he saw Hephaestion.

The brunette youth approached his friend and putting a strong hand on his shoulder, he mouthed "Fine?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, just a bit tired, that's all" said the prince coming back from his daydreaming.

Hephaestion took Alexander's face between his hands and Alexander gulped, their mouths were so near that only his strong will avoided the urge of kissing him; Alexander had realized long ago that he was in love with Hephaestion but Hephaestion wasn't, in fact he had confessed his love for a farm girl whom lived near his house; Alexander was rather disappointed with the confession but he continued loving his friend in silence.

Hephaestion caressed Alexander's temples with his thumbs and mouthed "Not well, tell me" but Alexander caught Hephaestion's hands between his and kissing them said:

"Nothing is wrong because you are here, Phai" and the prince could have sworn that Hephaestion blushed a little.

"I am going to take a bath and I will meet you in the garden" the prince said and left the chamber.

Hephaestion nodded and as soon as he saw his friend leaving the room, his knees went weak because for a moment he thought that Alexander was going to kiss him and fulfill his deepest dream, but he didn't and Hephaestion remained standing, in the middle of the room, trying to bring his heart to a quieter rhythm.

TBC.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: "Fire and Signs" Chapter 7.

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: PG.

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story. *TAIS was Ptolemy's hetaera and it is said to be the one that initiated the fire at Persepolis ´palace.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

The banquet began as any other, all the guests gathered in the Throne room with their presents, ready to give them to the Macedonian Prince; but the Prince was nowhere, several pages were looking for him but they were clueless, every spot they searched was deserted but none of them dared to go back and tell the King that the Prince was missing.

In the furthest garden of the palace, where once they met, Prince and Builder were sat under the apple tree, on a patch of green grass and surrounded by rose bushes, reading from a very ancient scroll, well the Prince was reading while his friend was laying next to him with his eyes closed but his lips were mouthing every single word of the Patroclea where Achilles wept about his beloved Patroclus´s death by Hector's hand.

When the Prince's voice faded away, the builder released a low sigh and a single tear rolled along his cheek. Alexander caught the tear with his index finger and rolled his friend onto his chest, with his head nestled over his heart and drawing soothing circles on his back.

- "Calm down, Hephaestion, they are together in the Elysian" Alexander whispered to his friend.

Hephaestion lifted his eyes and a sad smile touched his lips and after a moment, he returned his face onto Alexander's chest, rubbing it with his cheek. Alexander was still caressing his back when they heard heavy footsteps.

"There you are! Come back to the Palace, Alexander, or your father will flog you, no matter what day is today" said an angry Cleitus.

Both youths stood up, dusted their clothes and went back to the palace running, followed by the elder General who was looking at them with a tiny smile in his lips.

They were having a nice moment, the prince got many presents, most of them were expensive but he only treasured one, the most modest, the only one which had been made especially for him; it was Hephaestion's, the young man had built a mini Palace in stone with some small statues in the garden and wall with a carving of Achilles and Patroclus.

Alexander couldn't take his eyes of his present or his friend, he had been so close to kiss him today in the garden and he knew that it would be tonight, yes or yes, when he confessed his love again but this time Hephaestion would not be able to reject him because the Prince had seen more than friendship in his friend's blue eyes, he had seen "love" and he was sure that this time he wouldn't be only him wishing for a kiss.

The entertainments were wonderful but the prince just wanted to find a moment for his declaration of love. They were sitting together, prince and builder, sharing a couch and a plate with food; looks came and went, from blue to brown eyes and slightly blushed cheeks could also be seen in these two youths, oblivious to the rest of the people present in the room.

Gathering strength and courage, the young Prince stood up and offered his hand to the brunette, Hephaestion looked at him, showing confusion in his cerulean eyes and Alexander whispered "Come with me, I need a word with you, in private"

Alexander led him to the same balcony where many months ago they re started their relationship, after those horrible months apart, after the offending slap. The prince took Hephaestion's hands in his and spoke softly:

"My dear friend, I don't know what I am really doing but I can't silence my feelings anymore; I care for you very much, you are an excellent friend and you have always been there for me, but since the first time I saw you, I knew that I had found my soul mate, that "only one" I wanted to share the rest of my life with. I tried to deny my feelings because I know about your girlfriend but it is impossible and every time it gets worse and more difficult to hide. I don't want to embarrass you or make you change your mind about your feelings towards her but I have to be sincere with you and tell that I will always love you and that if, by any chance, your feelings are the same as mine in any moment of your life, I will be here, waiting for you.

Well, that was what I needed to say and now, that I have made myself a fool, I'd take my leave with your permission." Said Alexander sighing and feeling how a very heavy weight disappeared from his heart.

Alexander was about to open the curtain that led to the room when he felt a strong and warm hand in his back, between his shoulder blades. He turned round and saw Hephaestion looking into his eyes, the taller boy caught his head between his hands and mouthed "I love you too".

Alexander couldn't believe his eyes; his handsome Phai had mouthed those four words and made him the happiest man on earth. He cupped his face and brushed his lips with his and pulled back. Hephaestion touched his lips with the fingertips and his cheeks went rosy; he outstretched his hand and his right thumb caressed Alexander's bottom lip while his left hand rested on his nape. The Prince understood the signs quite quickly and kissed the builder's lips once more, pressing a bit harder and asking permission for entrance. The kiss deepened and both youths kissed with fruition till the lack of oxygen was big and little white lights appeared in front of their eyes.

Both young men regained their breath and hugged each other while their foreheads rested one against the other. Alexander took Hephaestion's hand and guided him back to the room. They were on their way to the couch when Cassander suggested taking the party to another place, full of women, fun and wine.

The handsome companion had seen how intimate the prince and builder had become and decided to put an end to it.

In the outskirts of the city, there was a very well known brothel with clean and nice women and boys, the wine was excellent and the music was good. They arrived there and Cassander went directly to ask for several jars of red wine, some sweet treats and asked the woman in charge to bring their best women to the table. He also gave the woman some extra coins to make one of the woman be dedicated to Alexander's needs, of course without revealing his real identity, so in that way he was going to force a rift between the new lovers-to be.

The hetaera was called Tais*, she was very beautiful, her manners were nice and she had a nice talking, she sat directly on Alexander's lap because he was the birthday boy and she tried to kiss and get closer to him. Alexander rejected her very gently and looked at Hephaestion with a sheepish expression in his dark eyes. Tais couldn't fail to notice the looks between the golden youth and the brunette and she knew that the golden's heart was already taken. She decided to enjoy the night with another of the companions there. The party went a bit wild and Tais suggested dancing in the back room of the brothel called the "Silk room" because its walls were covered with this fine material.

Cassander was not happy, his move had been unsuccessful and those two were together, talking to each other, avoiding the rest of the friends. Some more female dancers appeared and they started their dance, which was getting extremely sensual, their bodies were covered by very tiny outfits and their skin was brilliant due to the make-up applied onto it. Most of the companions were already drunk and some were getting really excited, looking at the dancers and their sexy movements.

In the middle of the dance, chaos started; one of the dancers tripped onto a hanging torch, filled with oil, it crashed against one of the walls and it got fire. The flames spread all over the other walls very quickly, the ceiling caught fire and the wood in it started to burn and became rather unstable. The people got crazy but as they were very drunk they couldn't made their way out. Alexander saw one of the dancers trapped with a long silk cloth and ran to help her, he freed her but in that moment one of the poles that were part of the ceiling started to fall. Hephaestion saw this from the other side of the room and being extremely anxious, he shouted: "ALEXANDER, THE CEILING POLE" and he started to run and pushed the prince out of its way, but he got caught under it and two more poles that fell after the first one. Alexander ran to his side but flames were extremely high and he couldn't get to him in time. The fire spread all over the place and Alexander was taken away by Ptolemy while the prince cried and shouted for his fallen friend.

The first fire took Hephaestion's family and voice away but he met his beloved.

The second fire gave Hephaestion's voice back but it took his life and his beloved's heart.


	9. EPILOGUE

Title: "Fire and Signs" Epilogue

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion. Kronos and Athina were born from my imagination and I really loved creating them.

Rating: R

Category: Historical AU so some personages will appear to serve the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not Hephaestion would be still among us, living under my "protection".

No beta so all mistakes are mine.

**This is for everybody who was really upset with the last chapter, even though you missed the little hints ….**

_**FIRE AND WORDS.**_

Alexander was trying to escape from Ptolemy's arms which were keeping him away from the fire.

"Let me go, Ptolemy, Hephaestion is still trapped in there" Alexander cried.

"I won't and probably Hephaestion is already de…" the companion said.

"Don't dare say that, I've just found out that Hephaestion loves me, I won't leave him alone" and giving him a hard push, Alexander released from the tight grip. He ran to the place and was praying to Hephaestus, god of Fire, to keep his lover safe.

Meanwhile Hephaestion was lying under the poles, luckily they had fallen in such a way that they had left an empty space around the fallen youth, giving him a tiny space to breathe. But Hephaestion was lost in his nightmare, the same one that he dreamt thousand of times after the first fire.

***flashback***

He dreamed about his family being burnt alive but the end of each nightmare was the worst part, he saw himself surrounded by fire, trying to get to someone who was holding out the hand to him, Hephaestion just brushed his fingertips over the other person's hand before that person was devoured by the flames.

***end of flashback***

Alexander soaked his cloak in water, put it over his head and ran towards the poles, the fire was receding but the flames were still high; he also listened to some servants running and looking for water but he couldn't wait. He reached where Hephaestion was lying and started to pull the poles with his bare hands without caring if he got burnt or not; his only aim was to get his lover out of there alive. He caught Hephaestion's hand but it slipped, he went further into the fire and caught it hard again and started to pull him from under the poles.

Hephaestion's arms were covered in blisters and burnt skin, being the right one the worst as it had been the one covering the builder's face. Alexander took his friend between his arms gently and Hephaestion opened his eyes and whispered "Alexander" and after that he closed them again, falling into unconsciousness.

Three full days and its nights found the young prince next to his friend's bed, waiting for the brunette to wake up and come back to him. His strong chest moved slightly but steadily and his heart had a strong beating, the prince knew that because he had been sleeping with his hand over his chest.

Hephaestion was taking his time to wake up but as long as he went on breathing, Alexander didn't dare to protest. Dawn was near and Eos was painting the sky rose when the prince felt a slight squeeze to his hand, the one which had been resting over Phai's chest, and when he popped up his head, he found two big lapis lazuli pools of heaven looking back at him.

"Hephaestion, you are awake!" Alexander said while brushing a lock of auburn hair from his friend's face. Hephaestion gave him a tiny smile and tried to answer but his voice sounded rough and it was rather painful.

"Don't try to speak, your throat must hurt with all the smoke you breathed, just baby steps, if you want, try to whisper or I can read your lips as always" the prince suggested.

"Water, please" Hephaestion whispered and Alexander gave him a happy grin and ran to fetch a cup. He was back in seconds and putting a hand on Hephaestion's nape, he helped him to raise to a more comfortable sitting position.

"Thanks" whispered the brunette, after sipping some water. Alexander set the cup on the nearby table and blushing, took his friend between his arms and whispered into his ear:

"I thought I had lost you, I prayed so much to have you back. Oh! I should call Philip so he can check on you" Alexander said disentangling his arms from the builder's body.

"Wait! Thanks for not leaving me behind" Hephaestion said.

"I'd never do that, Hephaestion, not after all we have waited to be together" the prince blushed and looked at his lover to be into his eyes, "that is if you still want to have me" he added nervously.

"More than ever" Hephaestion whispered back with blushed cheeks.

Alexander leaned over and brushed their lips together, Hephaestion raised his left hand and set it on Alexander's neck and bring him down, pushing his lips harder against the other and they sighed soundly when they got apart.

"I should call Philip" Alexander said against Hephaestion's lips.

"Later" he said claiming the Prince's lips again and this time, tongues and teeth took part in the exchanges of lips and love whisperings.

Hephaestion moved aside on his bed, making room for Alexander, who laid next to him, setting his ear onto Hephaestion's chest and smiling because his heart was beating steadily and his breathing was caressing the crown of his blonde head; the Prince embraced his Phai carefully and both fell asleep in each other arms.

They were found like this some hours later by a smiling doctor and a not so happy Queen Olympias. The doctor approached the bed and woke up Alexander. The prince stirred in his sleep and opened one of his eyes and when he saw them, he blushed instantly and jumped off the bed.

"Hephaestion woke up some hours ago but he was still feeling weak, although he was feeling better and his voice had come back" informed the Prince.

"We can clearly see he is doing fine" the doctor said smiling.

Alexander looked at Philip with confusion in his eyes and the doctor looked at Hephaestion's bruised kissed lips; the Prince smiled and covered his with the hand; he excused himself saying he had to get ready for his training.

A week later, in the early afternoon while Alexander was practicing with the Vanguard, a brunette young man was sitting in the shadow looking at the soldiers and horses practicing their battle movements.

Alexander looked back for a moment and discovered his friend and stopped the practice; he dismissed his companions and led Bucephalus towards Hephaestion at a slow pace. He offered his hand and pulled the builder behind him and went off with a quick canter, which he did on purpose as it was the only way to have the brunette's arms around his waist. After some stadia, he stopped by the waterfall and helped Hephaestion to dismount. They spent the whole afternoon there and the brunette got asleep in Alexander's arms while the golden youth raked his fingers through the auburn hair gently and looked at his scars which were almost healed.

A chill ran along his body, Alexander knew he had been so close to lose Hephaestion and decided that life was too short to go on wasting those precious moments together. He leaned on Hephaestion and stole a kiss from his warm lips; Hephaestion stirred and a tiny smile appeared o his face while the prince's name escaped from his parted lips.

Encouraged by this, Alexander kissed him again, a bit harder and ran his tongue along the bottom lip. Hephaestion opened his eyes and was shocked at seeing the young Apollo kissing him but he kissed back, nibbling on Alexander's upper lip. Kisses got deeper and their bodies got closer and warmer, seeking their release. With a nod of his head, Hephaestion gave Alexander his permission to take him on that green patch of heavens so Alexander set himself between the milky thighs and after some sweet and tender foreplay, he entered the young man beneath him as gently as he could. Their bodies moved together in such a synchrony that every movement produced some kind of pleasure.

When their lovemaking was over, their skins glowed and even though their breathing and heart beating were still quick, they found their way to relax and enjoyed being in each other arms. They went to the waterfall and bathed to each other, paying attention to the little details of their recently discovered lover's body and they liked all they saw.

Prince and builder went back to the palace and found out that Hephaestion's parents, Athina and Kronos, had arrived and were waiting to take their son home. Alexander greeted them but his heart broke into two in the middle of his chest when he knew what they wanted to do. Athina saw how his son and the prince got closer and stood together, with a pitiful look in their eyes, they were brushing their arms and they twined their fingers behind their backs; in that moment Athina realized that she wouldn't be able to part them without breaking their hearts. When the time to leave arrived, Athina hugged her son and assured him he could stay next to his beloved but she made both youths promise that they would go back to the farm to visit them whenever they had the time. Alexander hugged her back and thanked her for bringing up such an amazing son.

From that day on, Hephaestion was in charge of the royal workshop and his inventions were always welcomed by king Philip and his army, but the king decided that Hephaestion needed a proper military training and even though he was years behind in his training, he was a quick learner and could catch up Alexander's companions quite soon. Of course the prince was his mentor and teacher and the really mastered the art of war and … love.

Hephaestion recovered his voice in its full force but he didn't lose the skill of listening which was truly appreciated but his lover and Prince; many times his whispers in the right moment stopped Alexander's outbursts and in many other occasions, they lit the Prince's passion if they were dropped into his ear.

Only once, Hephaestion's voice was listened by hundreds of people who were gathered in the theatre and his words were the most important he would pronounce ever: "Health to Alexander, the new King of Macedon" while raising his left arm high in the air, and by doing this, his voice lit a new fire, one which would be fed with victory and glory; with days of joy and nights of passion; with words of never ending love between a man who defeated fire twice to win the love of a King.

Finis.


End file.
